One of the big mysteries surrounding James Gunn’s upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2 is: who in the heck is Sylvester Stallone going to be playing in the film? Well, if this rumor is to be believed (and it is indeed a capital R Rumor here, folks) then Sly is going to be playing one of the members of Marvel Comics’ original version of the team, who operate in the 31st Century.
According to an Italian press site called MoviesBook (via io9) they claim to have gotten hold of an Italian-language press release that supposedly says that Sylvester Stallone is playing “Stakar,†which Marvel fans know to be the real name of classic Guardians member Starhawk.
So just who is Starhawk, you might ask? Here are few tidbits about Marvel’s cosmic hero.
- Stakar  is in a constant loop of reincarnation, reliving his life over countless times. He’s reborn as an infant, but with full knowledge of things to come. Thus, he refers to himself as the “One Who Knows.”
- In the pages of the comics, Stakar was born to the human superhero (and Avenger) Quasar and the artificially created lifeform Kismet, also known as Ayesha. We know Ayesha is in the film, but does that mean we’ll see Quasar make his MCU debut too?
- Along with Yondu (Michael Rooker), he’s one of the only original Guardians to make it into the movies (so far).
- Here’s where things get really weird: Starhawk shares a body with his wife Aleta, who is also his adopted sister (ew). They were joined together by an ancient Hawk God, who let them separate long enough to have children. Then they were rejoined.
- Starhawk’s goofy looking wings are actually solar energy collectors, and allow him to fly though space at faster than light speeds.
Whomever (or whatever) Sylvester Stallone ends up playing in Guardians 2, we hope it’s someone of truly cosmic stature worthy of  the man who gave us Rambo and Rocky. Anything else would be a waste.
Which character do you hope Stallone is playing in the MCU? Are you hoping it’s Starhawk, or maybe holding out hope he’s another cosmic Marvel hero? Let us know down below in the comments.
Images: Marvel Comics
